Prompt Cast
The Mystery of the Wow Signal: A Possible Extraterrestrial Communication?
TLDR In 1977, astronomers received a mysterious signal known as the Wow signal, which has yet to be explained or located. Speculated to be a possible extraterrestrial communication, the origin and nature of the Wow signal remain unknown despite intermittent searching and various theories.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
In 1977, a mysterious signal was received by astronomers that has yet to be explained or located.
02:03
SETI was established to find signals from extraterrestrial civilizations using radio astronomy, specifically focusing on frequencies in the microwave range which can pass through space relatively unimpeded.
03:59
Astronomers are looking for narrow band communication signals in the microwave window, specifically in the range of frequencies known as the "watering hole," which correspond to hydrogen and water.
05:59
Ohio State University created the Big Ear, a large radio telescope that conducted the Ohio Sky Survey from 1963 to 1971 and discovered almost 20,000 radio sources, but is no longer in use.
07:51
In 1973, the Big Ear radio telescope was repurposed for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and on August 15, 1977, a SETI volunteer physicist discovered a narrow band signal near the 1.4 GHz frequency that had never been seen before, which was named the Wow signal.
09:49
The origin and nature of the Wow signal, a strong narrow band signal detected in 1977, remains unknown, but it is speculated to be a possible extraterrestrial signal.
11:34
The Wow signal has never been seen again since 1977, and while intermittent searching and theories about comets and human sources have been proposed, the truth remains unknown.
